Dawn of the Clans: A New Era
by Naomi Shihoin
Summary: [AU of the Dawn of the Clans books!] Enter a time where the founding leaders entered the forest. It was a time when Shadow complained constantly and River skipped Gatherings if he could but, together, the five cats founded the Clans we know today.
1. Prologue

**Dawn of the Clans: A New Era**

**Summary**: [AU of the Dawn of the Clans books!] Enter a time where the founding leaders entered the forest. It was a time when Shadow complained constantly and River skipped Gatherings if he could but, together, the five cats founded the Clans we know today.

**Notes**: This is an AU of the first book, The Sun Trail. Ripplestar's attack at a Gathering was not the first and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

**Prologue**:

The four giant oaks cast thick shadows across the moon-washed clearing as Thunderstar crouched at the top of the slope. Behind him, his Clanmates waited, the humid air stifling their breathing. Several cats dotted the hollow already, as they exchanged cautious greetings with warriors from rival Clans.

"Come on, ThunderClan!" Thunderstar called. He stood up and began to run down the slope, stretching his tail up so his Clanmates would follow.

"Finally," muttered Owleyes, his dark grey deputy with unblinking amber eyes, as he bounded beside him. "The seasons would've passed and I'd have frozen to death if I'd stayed still much longer."

The grass felt springy under Thunderstar's paws as he jumped onto a flat stretch of greenery. Two WindClan elders nodded to him and a RiverClan warrior called a greeting as he wove his way through the cats to the Great Rock.

"How's the prey running, Thunderstar?" SkyClan's leader, Skystar, asked as she leaped onto the top of the smooth silver boulder.

"Fast," he replied. "It loves being out in this weather more than we do!"

"Our rabbits run so quickly, they're nothing but muscle and bone when we catch them," Windstar, the WindClan leader, put in. "So tough to chew!"

The RiverClan leader, Riverstar, said nothing. He was sitting on the far side of the rock, as far from Skystar as he could get without falling off. Their Clans had been at war over a strip of shoreline for three seasons; one battle had led to the death of Skystar's former deputy, Pebblepool, and her Clanmates were far from forgiving their rivals across the water.

Thunderstar glanced down at the clearing. "ShadowClan not here yet? It's not like Shadowstar to be late."

Windstar lifted her haunches off the stone and settled down again with her tail curled up. "I'll stick to this rock if we don't start soon."

Riverstar shifted, sending his shadow flickering over the edge of the boulder, crisp in the moonlight. "Maybe Shadowstar's flirting with her Clan's toms again?"

The tip of Skystar's tail twitched. "Something's wrong," she murmured. "My pelt's been itching all day."

"Fleas," muttered Riverstar.

Thunderstar glared at him. It was the full moon, the one night they were supposed to put their rivalry aside and share news for the good of all of the Clans.

There was a hiss like wind at the edge of the clearing. Thunderstar pricked his ears and stared into the moon shadows. Was that a branch waving in the breeze or something more? _Why does Fourtrees suddenly feel unsafe?_

"ShadowClan! Attack!"

The shadows exploded, spitting and yowling. The cats in the clearing whirled to face them but, before they could brace themselves, ShadowClan warriors fell on them, claws and fangs bared. Within a heartbeat, the hollow thrashed and rippled like a river full of salmon. The leaders of the Clans stood on the edge of the Great Rock, staring down in horror. Then Riverstar leaped down, quickly followed by Skystar and Windstar. Thunderstar heard them screech orders to their senior warriors, splitting them into battle groups to defend the elders and apprentices who had come to the Gathering.

His deputy's face flashed up at him from the turmoil at the foot of the rock. "Help us, Thunderstar!" Owleyes yowled, before he whipped around to claw a ShadowClan warrior over his ears.

Thunderstar bunched his haunches, ready to jump down, when a shadow fell across him. He looked up. Shadowstar stood beside him on the Great Rock, her green eyes glittering coldly as they watched the battle.

"I bet you never thought I'd do it," she meowed, so quietly Thunderstar could barely hear her over the screeches and yowls from below.

"Do what? Attack the Clans when they came in peace to a Gathering, with elders among them?" Thunderstar hissed. "No, Shadowstar. I never thought you'd be as cowardly as that."

The thick-furred black she-cat lashed her tail. "Hardly the actions of a coward, to take on four Clans at once!"

Slipping his claws free, Thunderstar sprang at Shadowstar, bringing her down on top of the rock with a muffled thud. The ShadowClan leader squirmed around until she was lying on her back and then raked Thunderstar's belly with her hind paws. Thunderstar sank his claws deeper into the loose fur around Shadowstar's neck, feeling the slender bones underneath. "Call off your cats!" he spat. "This attack is wrong!"

Shadowstar scrambled to her feet and glared at Thunderstar. "I wouldn't call an easy victory wrong," she gloated. "Look at your precious cats now."

Thunderstar risked a sideways glance. The battle was slowing; many cats were slumped on the silver grass, bleeding and motionless. ShadowClan warriors paced among them, ready to lash out if any cat stirred.

"No!" Thunderstar yowled. "You can't do this!"

He jumped at Shadowstar, but his hind paws skidded on the smooth rock and the ShadowClan leader stepped easily out of the way. "So you keep telling me," Shadowstar observed. "But I seem to have done it anyway! Looks like I don't have to listen to you, Thunderstar."

Windstar surged to her paws, snapping her teeth and slashing the faces of any ShadowClan warrior who dared try to stop her, and lunged at Shadowstar. Quick as a bird, her paw flew out and slashed deep into Shadowstar's chest. Blood gushed from the wound, pulsing onto the forest floor. Shadowstar stared in astonishment and then glanced down at the gash. Legs buckling, she collapsed. As her head thumped onto the grass, her eyes rolled and turned dull.

A dark brown tom with unusual reflexes darted forward. "Shadowstar! No!" Windstar bowed her head. The ShadowClan leader must have been on her ninth life; she was young to die as a leader, but perhaps her battle-hungry career had used up the rest of her lives too quickly. "Murderer!" The brown warrior — Snakestrike, the ShadowClan deputy, Windstar suddenly realized — was glaring at her. "Come here and let me avenge our leader's death!" Snakestrike snarled.

"Don't threaten my mate like that!" The thin grey tabby form of Gorsefur streaked out and sliced open Snakestrike's throat.

Blood welled at his neck, spraying onto Gorsefur's paws and face. "Snakestrike! Please don't go!" A queen wailed. "What about our kits?"

Snakestrike shook his head slightly. "I can not stay with you anymore, Nightflower."

Nightflower padded up to him as quickly as she could and pawed at him. "I need you!"

"Let him go." A black tom shimmered into view.

"Blackwhisker?" Nightflower looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Don't take him. Please."

"It is his time." Blackwhisker touched his muzzle to his daughter's head.

Nightflower's mew caught in her throat.

Snakestrike knew his time was running out. "I-I say these words before the body of Shadowstar, so that her spirit may hear and approve my choice. Hollyberry will be the new deputy of ShadowClan," he rasped, staring straight into the black she-cat's eyes. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but a small gasp escaped him and he fell limp.


	2. Ch 1: Warrior Code

_**Chapter 1: Warrior Code**_

"Unite or die," the spirits said.

From among the living cats, a black female was the first to speak. She rose from the ground on stiff, battle-wearied legs. "My name is Shadow," she mewed. "How should we unite, unless we have a leader? I can hunt in the depths of the darkest night. Let Shadow rule the forest!"

"And you would lead us into darkness too!" meowed a silvery-grey tom with green eyes. "I am River! I move through the forest along secret paths and hidden places. It is River, not Shadow, who should unite the forest!"

"The forest is more than River and Shadow," growled a wiry brown she-cat. "Wind alone reaches its distant corners. I am as fast as the wind that blows from the high moors. _I_ should be the ruler."

The largest surviving cat was called Thunder. He was an orange tom with amber eyes and large white paws. "What good is any of that compared to my strength and skill at hunting? If any cat was born to rule, it is I."

Sky stood up. She nodded. This was her moment to shine. Sky could never let River or the others rule. It had to be her. "What good will that do?" she called, her blue-grey body weary still. "I can reach the top of the forest with my leaping. I am Sky! With me as your leader, we will fly like birds!"

A furious yowling broke out under the four great oaks, watched in silence by the spirit-cats. Dark clouds suddenly blew across the moon and the living cats trembled in fear. On top of a high rock, they saw a tabby she-cat, one of the fallen; her fur shining though there was no light in the sky. Her eyes flashed angrily at the cats on the ground. "You are all as foolish as ducks!" she meowed. "Can't you think beyond yourselves for one moment? Think of your kits!"

The five cats — Thunder, Wind, River, Sky and Shadow — looked up at the tabby, but none of them spoke. "The forest is big enough to feed all your families and many more," she meowed. "You must find other cats like you, choose a home in the forest and set down borders."

At that moment, the moon broke free of the clouds, revealing a circle of starlit spirit-cats around the edge of the clearing. A white tom stepped forward. "If you do this," he mewed, "we will reward you with eight more lives, so that you may lead your Clans for many moons to come."

Next to speak was a slender tortoiseshell. She stepped forward and stood beside the white tom. "We will watch over you from Silverpelt," she promised and lifted her eyes to the crowded path of stars that swept across the night sky. "We will visit you in your dreams and guide you on your journeys."

"Once a month," meowed the white tom, "at the full moon, you will gather here together, between the four great oak trees, for a night of truce. You will see us above you in Silverpelt and know we are watching. And if blood is spilled on those nights, you will know we are angry."

"You will be warriors!" yowled the tabby from the high rock. Thunder, Wind, River, Sky and Shadow bowed their heads. "From now on, you will live by a warrior code. Your hearts will be filled with courage and nobility and, if you must fight, it will not be for greed, but for honour and justice."

There was a long silence. Finally Thunder nodded his broad orange head. "This is wise advice. I believe we can choose our territories and lay down borders fairly, in peace."

One by one, the other cats murmured their agreement. Then they returned to their homes and sought out cats like themselves, with similar strengths and abilities.

River found cats willing to fish for their prey.

Shadow gathered night-time hunters with clever minds and sharp claws.

Thunder found hunters who could track prey through the thickest undergrowth.

To Wind came the fastest runners and cats who loved the open moors.

To Sky came the tree-climbers and cats who were swiftest amongst branches.

They then divided the forest so each Clan had enough prey to survive and all the cats could live in safety.

And when the leaders returned to the four great oaks for the first night of the full-moon truce, their starry ancestors gave them eight more lives, as they had promised.

Their starry ancestors also did the following:

The Clans were named RiverClan, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, WindClan and SkyClan. They told the Clan cats that when they died, they would come to StarClan but would be sent to the Dark Forest, or Place of No Stars if they committed murder.

The warrior code was laid down...

1. Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan.

2. Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.

3. Elders and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors.

4. Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.

5. A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.

6. Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.

7. A cat can not be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.

8. The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies or retires.

9. After the death or retirement of the deputy, a new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.

10. A Gathering of all of the Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.

11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.

12. No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different Clan.

13. The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.

14. An honourable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his or her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defence.

15. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.

There was a hierarchy in the Clans: the leader, deputy, medicine cat, warriors, apprentices, queens, kits and elders.


	3. Ch 2: Allies

**A/N: Mormeril is co-writing with me again, so every second chapter will be written by her and the alternate ones are mine. This is hers**.

_**Chapter 2: Allies**_

It had been three moons since the creation of the Warrior Code. Much had happened in that time. The blue-grey she-cat known as Skystar sighed as she carefully picked her way across her territory.

Relations between the Clans were tenser than she had thought they would be at this point in the life of the Clans. Riverstar had already lost his first life to a "fox", although some cats clearly suspected that is was Shadowstar's fault, considering how aggressive the she-cat was, and the way that the two had been interacting prior.

Also, she felt lonely compared to the other leaders. It wasn't obvious unless one looked closely but, to Skystar, the other four leaders seemed a bit closer than they should be. Wind and River seemed quite close, and Thunder and Shadow appeared even closer. But she herself was all alone.

There were no toms in her own Clan to fill the void she had recently felt, none of them appealed to her. This was why she was now hesitating at the ThunderClan border, contemplating crossing it. She knew deep down that she shouldn't, as it would be an open provocation against ThunderClan — which would not end well — but she couldn't resist.

She opened her jaws, scenting the air, and stiffened. ThunderClan scent, and fresh, too. And it wasn't just any ThunderClan cat, but Thunderstar himself! She stepped back from the border just moments before he arrived.

"Thunderstar," she meowed courteously as he narrowed his eyes at her. He looked anything but pleased to see her. She had a good feeling that the leader of ThunderClan was not at all the friendliest of toms.

"Skystar. What are you doing so close to the ThunderClan border?" he growled, further confirming what she had suspected for a few moons.

"I might ask you the same," she retorted, narrowing her own eyes, "considering that this is also the SkyClan border."

He nodded slowly. "A valid point, but your scent has been particularly strong here the last few days…" His voice trailed off, but his eyes remained narrowed. Skystar shuffled her paws, knowing he was waiting for her to respond.

"I-I was simply patrolling our border!" she protested in outrage.

"Alone?" Thunderstar looked sceptical. "Tell me, Skystar, what were you really doing?"

Skystar quickly tried to think of a decent response, one that the ThunderClan leader would believe. But just as she was about to reply, a new scent caught her off guard. "ShadowClan," she spat, recognising their distinct stench.

Thunderstar looked slightly surprised, but his gaze softened slightly as he turned in dismay. A small, long-furred ShadowClan she-cat was racing towards them. "What in the name of StarClan are you doing here?" Thunderstar asked the ShadowClan cat.

Skystar couldn't help but notice that the she-cat looked exhausted, and also slightly shocked.

"What's going on?" she demanded, knowing that there was definitely something wrong.

"It's WindClan! They've invaded our territory!"

Thunderstar looked stunned. "What?"

The she-cat nodded. "Shadowstar sent me to tell you, we need help! It was completely unexpected! Half the Clan is out on patrol or hunting! Darktail was sent to find the patrols, but that might not be enough! Please help us!"

Thunderstar nodded. "I'll bring a patrol over as fast as I can. Nightwing, you'd best come back to camp with me; you're too exhausted to go back and fight now."

The she-cat, whose name was apparently Nightwing, looked like she was about to argue, but nodded, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Skystar. _Are Shadow and Thunder really so close that Shadow's warriors respect Thunder enough to do as he tells them?_

The tom turned to Skystar. "Make sure you stay on your side of the border," he growled before racing away from the border with the she-cat right on his tail, no doubt heading back to the ThunderClan camp.

Skystar snorted, and turned away. _Fine by me_, she thought to herself. _If all ThunderClan cats are as arrogant as you, I'll just have to look elsewhere for a possible mate!_


	4. Ch 3: Cougartooth

_**Chapter 3: Cougartooth**_

No tom wanted her; maybe she should heed Thunderstar's veiled threat and look for one in her own Clan. _What if I have no luck there again? I refuse to be without a mate!_ Skystar defiantly decided. Licking her chest fur, which had fluffed up from her anger at Thunderstar, she caught the scent of a different ThunderClan cat. She hesitantly turned and observed a single tom, with an apprentice, hunting just on the slope of the hill.

The tom twitched his ears, smelling SkyClan on the breeze. Skystar noticed his head lifting and turning towards her too late as she took a step over the border, as if pulled by the tom's scent.

"Stay, Wolfpaw!" he hissed as he surged towards Skystar, the black she-cat doing as she was told. With a screech, the tom landed on the SkyClan leader.

Skystar didn't have time to let out a yowl before she was knocked to the ground. The tom sank his outstretched front claw into her pelt, while Skystar pushed herself to her paws and tackled the tom. She spun and slashed and snarled until the trees blurred around her. Delicate ear skin caught under one of her claws; with a wrench, she ripped her paw clear and felt a thin spray of blood land on her muzzle.

"Where is the rest of your border patrol?" The tom hissed, ducking out of the way of Skystar's flailing front paws.

"I came by myself," Skystar spat through clenched teeth. She sprang over the tom who she had rolled over and kept pace with him as he streaked to his paws, determined to defend his apprentice if she were to hurt the nine-moon-old she-cat.

"Get away from her!" The tom called.

Skystar flung herself through the ferns. "I'm… not… leaving… until… I take a… ThunderClan tom… as my mate," she huffed, her blood-spattered hackles raised and claws unsheathed.

The tom paused, his teeth mouse-tails away from biting her shoulder. "Why?" He straightened up, bewildered. "You lead your own Clan, you've got toms-"

"None of whom interest me," Skystar spat blood onto the grass. "The other leaders are so lucky! Windstar and Riverstar are mates; so are Thunderstar and Shadowstar. But me? I have no one. I'm stuck in the middle with no tom to call my mate." She growled angrily; it was a bitter sound for the tom to cope with.

He stood back, letting Skystar up and began licking the blood off her face. "I'm Cougartooth; I'll be your mate," the large, muscular golden brown tom introduced himself.

The young apprentice padded forward slowly. "Cougartooth…" she started.

"Yes, Wolfpaw?" The mentor answered.

"You're sharing tongues with the enemy; more specifically, an enemy leader," the she-cat pointed out.

Cougartooth sighed. His apprentice's obviousness with her statements was really, really frustrating. "I know," he meowed simply.

The apprentice smirked, knowing her mentor was doing the wrong thing. "Thunderstar's not going to be very happy if he were to find out."

"You wouldn't-?!" The tom spat in shock of the blatant blackmail.

Wolfpaw gave nothing away, merely twitching her whiskers in amusement.

"Wolfpaw, I swear to StarClan, if you-!" Cougartooth stopped himself. He wouldn't dare harm a descendant of Lionstar of LionClan, their great ancestors.

"Be careful what you wish for," the apprentice chided, as if she knew what he had been about to say.

After the blood from her shoulders had been cleaned off, Skystar nosed Cougartooth and whispered: "I love you."

Knowing he had to get back to mentor duties, he returned the gesture and murmured: "I love you, too." in her ear. Wolfpaw chuckled deviously as Cougartooth came to her side, his warning growl enough to keep her quiet.

Even Skystar knew she would most likely get her ears torn off by Thunderstar the next time they saw each other for even stepping onto his territory. _Would Thunderstar's fury be enough to drive our Clans to war?_ She thought worriedly.

…

**A/N: But will Cougartooth's threatening growls be enough to silence Wolfpaw forever? Will the apprentice just blurt out the secret one day? Find out in the next chapter**.


End file.
